Patch 7 for Baldur’s Gate 3 is here, at least for PC players, and with it a lot of fun new features. One of the more subtle changes made to the game is the addition of New idle animations for companions in camp. A moment of one of the new animations has captivated fans online, and shows why the game deserves to stay in the spotlight for a while longer.
The new idle animation belongs to Shadowheart, the group’s standoffish cleric with a mysterious past, whose fear of wolves appears early in the game. Despite this, she now seems to have some affinity for Scratch, the camp dog and best boy of the party, as You can see her lying next to her tent. This change is minute and will likely go unnoticed by many players, but it illustrates how well the developers pay attention to small details and provide the Sword Coast with a lot of life.
Even shar worshipers like Shadowheart love to scratch
A good boy who can unite the strangest of allies
Scratch and Shadow can both be recruited to camp early, at the beginning of Act 1. The cleric can be found along the coast at the wrecked nautiloid, while The dog waits by his friend’s grave outside the vanished village of Monahan. Once both are in stock, it’s just a matter of time and RNG before they end up interacting.
Many players will remember how, in earlier patches of the game, the player’s camp felt somewhat lifeless, with only a few empty pauses available for companions and little movement aside from the player character running around. The game has gone through several iterations since then, with Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch 7 The last and probably the last major, adding small scenes like Jaheira communicating with a rat messenger, Gale practicing his cantrips, and Karlach’s famous dance moves. But the animations rarely saw camp members interact – until now.
Scratch helps Shadowheart face her fears
How a small moment can act as a background character growth
as said, Shadowheart is afraid of wolvesDue to circumstances of her background that are explored throughout the course of the game. The ones in the Emerald Grove and Githyanki Crèche can cause you to be scared, and ask the player to avoid them moving on. Of course, Scratch is nowhere near as ferocious or fearsome as a dire wolf, but he is a canine that can elicit a similar fear response from someone with Shadowheart’s trauma.
Scratch won’t cause any kind of frightened response for Shadowheart, even if summoned outside of camp as a familiar.
Which is why it’s so nice to see them get along in this new one Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch. Scratch is friendly, loves pets and playing fetch, and it’s easy to see how a dog with his disposition could help the cleric face her fears in a safe environment. True, Shadowheart’s fear doesn’t change mechanically until a later quest in the House of Sorrows. But the idea that Scratch is helping her overcome the fear of her past makes this sweet moment even more meaningful.
Source: AtlasFlynn / Reddit